


Tingles

by sarah_x



Category: Generation X (Comic), X-Men (Comicverse)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-06
Updated: 2017-11-06
Packaged: 2019-01-30 03:52:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,054
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12645552
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sarah_x/pseuds/sarah_x
Summary: Jubilee's not sure when Jono started giving her the tingles.





	Tingles

**Author's Note:**

> Please be nice to me I'm a shit writer. 
> 
> Also I'm pretty sure Jono is the one with the crush thus far in canon (shout out to my Gen X hoes) but every Jubilee/Jono fic is from his perspective so I decided to switch it up. This fic is also an example of why I should never, ever be allowed to write in the present tense.
> 
> I very briefly checked this over for spelling mistakes, etc. I'm probably going to read this after sleeping and see so many mistakes and cringe to death.
> 
> Anyways enjoy!

She’s not sure when Jono started giving her the tingles.

It starts in her nose, spreads across her face and neck in waves, makes her giggle. She’s been spending so much time with him recently, she’s noticed it more and more. It began with small things. When he’d covered for her with Kitty that time she’d overslept, when he’d tripped off stage after introducing himself at the beginning of the semester, when he’d let Shogo use one of his legs as a canvas.

Now it’s whenever he’s around. She senses him before his voice echoes through her head.

_“Lee.”_

It feels like a sigh tickling her mind. It feels like longing. The tingles follow, make her crinkle her nose. It’s highly inconvenient, Jubilee decides, considering the weight of the history between them. He’s her old classmate. Her friend. Paige’s cool, if somewhat emo, boyfriend. She has Shogo to think about. Shogo and Roxy and the rest of her class. He’s probably got his own problems to deal with.

_“Jubes?”_

He’s hovering in the doorway of her bedroom, one hand on the handle, leaning against the frame. His hair is mussed, cavernous wreath of energy exposed and shifting. The flames are hypnotic, they almost look like they’re dancing around his body. A slight frown forms on his face.

_“Didn’t you hear me?”_

She wants to tell him she always hears him. She wants to tell him it’s gotten to the point where she can sense him in her mind before he needs to speak. She wants to tell him that he talks, _thinks_ , in his sleep. She knows about his nightmares, knows he’s thought about ending it more than a few times. She can relate.

“Sorry, I totally spaced.”

 _“’s OK,”_ He’s looking at her strangely, _“It’s you and your rug rats turn in the Danger Room.”_

She shoots him a brilliant grin, tries to shrug off the thoughts running circles around her. Fangs prod at her lower lip. Another reminder not to pursue these feelings. He’s so full of light and there are so many ways to hurt him.

She rises off the bed, stretches out of habit more than necessity, “Took you long enough.”

He turns to leave, pauses just before he disappears round the side of the door, peaks his head back into the room, _“You feeling OK, Lee? Don’t need me to grab Rao or Nemesis, do you?”_

Her grin falters a bit, “I’m fine.”

*

It’s late when they get back to the Mansion.

Jubilee is an awful vampire. 10PM is her bedtime, anything later is an abomination. Stupid Emplate. She almost curses Monet but, at the end of the day, can’t find that kind of anger in her. She reminds herself Monet is a victim of her brother as much as they are. Still, she can’t help feeling at least a little resentment towards her friend for keeping her out until three in the morning.

She turns to Jono, tugs on the sleeve of his jacket. “Carry me the rest of the way?”

Amusement sparkles in Jono’s eyes, skews the dark bags beneath, _“What happened to that vampire stamina?”_

Jubilee lets out a whine in response. A sensation fills her brain, something she’s come to identify as Jono’s version of laughter, like hearing someone giggle through static or white noise. She tingles again, and it flutters across her nose and cheekbones.

He’s got his hands shoved into his pockets, bracing against the cold. She sighs. It could have been the perfect time to touch him, to see if these sensations would ever lead anywhere. She settles for looping her arm through of his leather-jacketed ones. He’s warm. He’s always warm. Heat pulsates underneath his carefully bandaged chest and neck. She presses closer to him, head burying into his side. Sometimes she can even hear that chamber of energy humming like a machine. Humming or singing.

He doesn’t break his stride, doesn’t pay her much attention at all. She shouldn’t expect him too. She’s always been open about touch, not just with him. She remembers when they were kids and he used to stiffen up whenever she wrapped her arms around him. Now he’s happy to initiate a handshake or a hug. He’s different, older, wiser. They both are.

The porchlights spring to life for them, emitting a soft yellow glow, replacing the light quickly snuffed out from their students’ bedroom windows. She doesn’t know how they can do it. Even as a kid who grew up loving video games, she wouldn’t be able to do a 5AM Overwatch marathon like Trevor or Nathaniel.

_“Are you sure you’re OK?”_

The question catches her off-guard. She pauses on the steps of the Mansion, almost his height with a step to make up the difference. His brown eyes are concerned, they pin her gaze.

“I’m fine.” She insists. Jono doesn’t need all his face to look incredulous.

 _“This stuff with Monet must be weighing heavy on you, luv,”_ Jono tries. His hands move out of his pocket. He seems to debate with himself where to put them. He settles for resting a hand on her shoulder. Not what Jubilee needed. _“Especially after everything you’ve already been through. No one would blame you for being a bit on edge. Just know you’ve always got someone around to talk to, yeah? Doesn’t have to be me but… it can be. You know it can, right?”_

Everything hits her at once. She feels the tears welling up in her eyes before she can bite them back. She turns away from him, shrugging off the hand. Jono flounders, _“Lee, sweetheart, what’s ‘a matter?”_

“I’m fine.” Her voice wobbles.

She turns on her heel and leaves him out on the porch. Dani is waiting for her on the couch in the rec room, “I put Shogo to bed a few hours ago. Did you guys have any luck? Did you find M?”

Jubilee shakes her head, “Thanks for watching Shogo, Dani.”

A frown forms on Dani’s face, “Hey, are you OK?”

“I’m fine!” She snaps suddenly, eyes flashing red. Dani’s taken aback. Embarrassment colours Jubilee’s cheeks. Dani’s got nothing to do with her issues.

“Sorry,” Jubilee says, wiping her tears away and pinching the bridge of her nose, “I don’t mean to be a dick, I’m just really stressed right now.”

Dani offers a half-smile, “It’s cool. Just know you can talk to me, right?”

Jubilee wants to laugh but manages a nod. The last thing she wants to do is talk to anyone right now. She’s about ready to pass out from exhaustion.

She notices Jono from her bedroom window. He’s still out on the porch, lit cigarette between his fingers. He told her once he found comfort in the gesture even if he couldn’t smoke anymore. She wonders what he’s thinking, then considers going back out to meet him. Telling him how she really feels. It would be the perfect moment with no X-Men or prying students around to bother them.

She lets the curtain fall back over the window. She goes over to Shogo’s crib, strokes her fingers through the little tufts of baby hair growing on his head.

“Never grow up, baby. Trust me, it’s overrated.”

She misses the days when boys were gross.

*

Tonight is bad.

There’s so much hunger. And fear. She’s shaking. She darts up the stairs of the Mansion and locks herself in her room. She chose the best moment for a breakdown, when there were around fifty X-Men gathered in the lobby. She can hear the blood rushing through all their veins like an endless chorus of drum beats. She can smell them.

Gone is masquerade of civility behind all of this. She pulls a blood bag out of the mini-fridge, rips it open, chugs it. Some of it misses her mouth, pours down her chin and neck. She imagines how she must look, sitting in the dark, covered in blood, like a wild animal.

There’s a soft knock at the door but she doesn’t need the person to announce themselves. She knows its him.

_“Lee, will you let me in, please?”_

She doesn’t respond. She crouches on the bed, knees drawn up to her chest. She can hear the blood moving through his veins, slow and steady, the not-quite-there heartbeat, driven by the strange yellow glow in his chest rather than an actual organ. Tingles again for all the wrong reasons. Logan’s blood is losing its potency.  She thinks Jono would taste good.

No. She’s better than that.

“Leave me alone, Jono.”

_“You shouldn’t be alone.”_

“I’m _fine._ ”

 He knocks again. She grabs a lamp from the bedside and flings it at the door. There’s a heavy silence after the lamp shatters. He doesn’t knock again.

She curls up in the bed, staining her sheets red, remembering briefly that she left Shogo with Trevor. She’s still shaking. The hunger burns her stomach, claws at the back of her throat. She barely sleeps the night.

*

He’s in her room again.

It feels right this time. She doesn’t want to tear the veins out of his wrist like some B-movie monster. He’s propped up against her headboard, Shogo sprawled out in his lap, asleep.

“All that baby does is sleep.”

She’s next to him, stroking Shogo’s cheek fondly. Jono’s jacket his gone, he’s wearing a Union Jack vest, frayed at the edges. It’s tacky as hell but she doesn’t tell him that. He once told her it was something of a comfort, a reminder of his other home, a life outside of the X-Men. It’s fallen into disrepair, much like Jubilee’s yellow trenchcoat. It’s funny how things that once meant so much to them now wear thin.  

 _“That’s sort of what babies do, Lee,”_ Jono replied. _“They’re like cats.”_

She frowns at him, but a grin is playing on her lips, “If you think kids are like cats, I hope you never have children, Jonothon Starsmore.”

_“What? You feed them, you give them attention and they never give anything back.”_

 “Do kids poop in a litter box?”

 _“Unfortunately not,”_ Jono scrunched up his nose. _“Apparently they poop on me.”_

The smell hits Jubilee and she covers her mouth to stop the laughter waking Shogo when she notices a prominent bulge in Shogo’s diaper.

_“Knew I shouldn’t have worn white jeans.”_

Jubilee wipes tears from her eyes, says with a grin, “Here, I’ll change him.”

She reaches for him but Jono shakes his head, _“It’s OK, luv. Rest. I’ve got ‘im.”_

She watches him with both fascination and guilt. He’s so good with Shogo, like he’s done it before, but she worries she’s forced him into quasi-fatherhood. She supposes she’s made most of the X-Men aunts and uncles. Jono’s different. He has a way with Shogo the others lack. For one, he’s mastered the art of changing a diaper without waking Shogo, a feat even she hasn’t achieved yet.

She can’t help but be grateful for how normal this feels. How right it feels. Scratch that, life with the X-Men never would be normal, especially with recent changes, but it’s moments like these that give her hope. Talking about her kid is the most mundane thing in the world, about as domestic as she can get. Maybe she can do this. Be a teacher and a parent and a vampire. Maybe the balance is possible. She hopes Jono can be a part of that. She _wants_ him to be a part of that.

A moment of bravery blazes up inside her.

She waits as Jono lowers Shogo into his crib. Babysitting job fulfilled, he seems unsure of himself. He hovers next to the crib, looks at her for direction. She pats the side of bed, invites him to sit next to her again. He flumps down on the bed, slouching against the headboard. For a moment, they’re the same height.

She bites her lip, tries not to let the fear reach her face, “I need to tell you something.”

He seems to sense her seriousness, _“O-kay…”_

“You know how you said I should talk to someone,” She reminds him. “When we came back from the mansion? And I kept saying I was fine?”

He nods.

“Well, I’m not fine, Jono,” She says, “Not right now, anyways.”

 _“I figured,”_ He replies, _“What’s eating you, luv?”_

She draws her legs up to her chest, hugs them against herself like she would a stuffed animal. She’s adamant to hold his eye. What’s there to be afraid of? It’s Jono, one of her best friends. She’s known him for years.

He’s staring at her expectantly, big brown eyes patient and concerned, but he doesn’t push her. She reaches out, finds one of his hands on the bed, drums her fingers against his upturned palm. His fingers close around her hand.

“I think,” Panic wells up inside her, but she forces herself to push on. “I think I love you. That I’m _in love_ with you.”

She opens her mouth to say something else, flounders, closes her mouth again. She’s trying to read Jono’s expression.

He blinks at her, _“Come again?”_

Her mouth’s so dry, she doesn’t think she can manage it a second-time round, but she forces herself to say the words, “I love you.”

He hugs her. She stiffens at the unexpected contact but eases into him, feels the energy in his chest reacting to her, pushing up against the bandages. He strokes up and down her back. She feels the weight of the past few weeks lifting off her shoulders, relief filling her up, along with those all-too-familiar tingles.

_“Me too.”_

His ‘voice’ has always been beautiful but she appreciates it the most now, those words of affirmation echoing through her mind likes ripples in water. She lets him hold her for a moment before she rounds on him.

“How long?”

She thinks she sees a blush colour his cheekbones, but it could just be the energy brimming at the edges of the bandages, _“A while.”_

“That’s not an answer, sparky.” She says with a grin, poking him in the side. He takes one of the pillows, hits her with it. She sticks her tongue out at him but stops herself from retaliating. She needs to know this.

He rubs the back of his head awkwardly, _“Since Massachusetts.”_

The revelation sinks her stomach. He might as well have slapped her, “That _long_? Even when you were with Paige? That was _years ago,_ Jono!”

 _“I did love Paige,”_ He explains, _“But we weren’t a good fit. We wanted different things out of life. I came here because Charles Xavier sent me that letter saying he’d make an X-Man out of me. You remember that, right?”_

The memory brings a smile to her lips. It had been a tough time for them both, they’d just lost one of their friends and classmates, Synch, and were about to lose each other, with their school shutting down. Jono had gotten a letter from Professor X tapping him for a new X-Men team. He hadn’t been thrilled but Jubilee had been so excited for him, so full of youthful, naïve enthusiasm.

“Obviously that didn’t work out.”

 _“It didn’t,”_ He admits, _“Doesn’t mean that’s a bad thing. Coming here gave me a purpose. There are kids here that want to hide but can’t, they need somebody to show them it’s OK to come out of the shadows sometimes. Besides, I never gave a fuck about the X-Men. If you’re around that’s like, 90% of the team spirit anyways.”_

She reaches out, pushes strands of brown hair out of his face lazily. He does look older, she notices. He really has grown up.

_“And you?”_

“Hmmm?”

 _“You’re the one who just dramatically declared your love for me,”_ He teases, _“Who long have you been sitting on that whopper?”_

She has to think about that. For a moment, she’s reminded of her childhood crush on him. That seemed too innocent, though. She’s sure she was more attracted to his collection of vinyl than she was attracted to him. Maybe that’s where it started though, when she used to get giddy around Paige’s punk boyfriend. Then he’d left and had come back into her life when they’d both depowered. They’d joined the New Warriors for a while, both completely different and yet somehow so alike.

She shuffles down the bed to meet him. They’re both lying on their sides now, faces close together, hands looped. She’s so tired, all she wants to do is fall asleep holding him.

“New Warriors,” She finally mumbles, blinking back tiredness, “I think… I think it was when we were a part of that team. Yeah. I only realized how much I missed being a mutant when my powers were gone. I still feel that sometimes, too. You were different too, I mean, besides the obvious. You were friendly and…sociable. It was weird.”

Jono frowns at her, _“I’ve always been friendly.”_

“You forget I remember when you used to go sit out in the rain at the Massachusetts Academy and brood,” She says, “No wonder you caught so many colds.”

_“Brooding is my secondary mutation.”_

Jubilee giggles and, in a spur of the moment, reaches forward and kisses him on the nose. Jono jerks back slightly, quizzical look playing on his face, _“What are you doing?”_

“Kissing you, silly.”

_“You could have kissed me on the forehead or something.”_

“A pretty girl tries to kiss you and you complain?”

_“I’m not-”_

She sticks her tongue out at him, “Maybe I’ll go kiss Logan instead.”

She rises off the bed, a glint of challenge in her eyes, and hits Jono with one of the pillows. She makes a run for the door, but he catches her, pulls her back down onto the bed. She could get out from under him easily enough, vampire strength and speed made him about as strong as matchstick. She doesn’t. She lets him pull her back into the bed, lets him press against her, lets the warm energy spread across her back. She sighs, eyes falling shut.

_“So… are we doing this, then?”_

“I guess we are.”

_“Say goodbye to kissing, Lee.”_

She smiles, feels a familiar sensation spreading across her nose and cheekbones, those little tingles.

“You’ve got hands, haven’t you?”


End file.
